The Principle Of The Matter
by gradysiren
Summary: It was the last day of school and Peter was looking forward to hanging out with his friends and his Aunt, and of course his trip to Europe. After finally reacting to Flash's bullying, Peter finds himself in the principal's office and his trip in jeopardy. A distraught Peter pleads his case, and a worried Flash reflects on his treatment of Peter Parker, while he awaits his own fate
1. Chapter 1

Peter threw his backpack over his shoulder, grabbed an apple from the kitchen, inserted his earbuds, and began his commute to Midtown High School. It was the last day of school and the summer sun was beating on his neck as he headed for the subway. He was trying to keep a positive attitude as he thought about his plan for the science trip to Europe. However, he couldn't help but feel a little glum when he thought back on previous summers. To him it had simply been a year, but since his trip to space, five years had passed. He couldn't help but think of that "one year." He remembered the end of his sophomore year, where Tony Stark began becoming more of a father figure than just a mentor to him. After turning down Tony's offer to join the Avengers, he offered to make Peter's internship official and the boy had come to spend hours tinkering in Tony's lab. Since Thanos, that was no more. He still struggled with grief. His Aunt understood and provided the constant support her nephew needed. As the school year went on, Peter began to rediscover a sense of normality in the post blip world, but the lack of his mentor still stung.

As Left Hand Free by Alt-J played on his shuffle lineup, the nostalgia of his first meeting with Tony burned into Peter's mind. He was not going to cry on the subway. He tried to distract himself with thoughts of Europe and told himself that he was going to have a good day. As it always went though, good things couldn't come for Peter Parker.

The first few periods of the day went well, and Peter gradually found himself cheering up. He was looking forward to running some errands after school and picking up his passport, before getting some Spider-Man action in. He thought of movies he and May could watch that evening and all the fun things he would get to do in Europe, and mostly he thought of the time he would get to spend with MJ. After lunch, Peter had study hall and the always liable to ruin a good day Flash Thompson was in the same study hall. Almost as soon as Peter had found a seat and lounged back to take a nap, Flash took a seat next to him.

"So Parker, how did you manage to pay for this trip? Based on those clothes, you don't look like you could afford a day trip to the Bronx Zoo."

Peter sighed. "Flash, it's the last day of school. Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Not really," Flash shot back. "I'm genuinely concerned Parker. Before the blip, I assumed you could afford it what with Tony Stark being your sugar daddy. You know some of the girls think you're a male escort right? I finally believe that you had an internship with Stark, just not in the science or engineering trade."

Peter could deal with Flash's teasing. He always had. Invoking his deceased father figure was another story. The 16 year old exhaled and clenched his fists. "Shut up, and leave me alone" Peter hissed. Flash laughed. He knew just how to hit Peter where it hurt. In all his cockiness, Flash just did not know where to draw the line.

"Oh right but he's dead so now it's just you and your aunt. She's pretty attractive, maybe she's the one who-"

"Oww shit!" Flash shouted as Peter shoved his desk squarely into the bully's knees and shins. The tormented teen gasped when he realized what he had done/ "That was a mistake. Parker!"

Peter stood there frozen as the rest of the class stared. Flash hobbled up and threw a punch. Peter dodged it, but their study hall proctor had walked back into the room and immediately took both boys by the arm and began steering them to principal Morita's office. Peter couldn't believe himself. He had held back against Flash for years. Flash had never once stooped so low before. With Tony's death still weighing heavily on the boy's mind, and the rage he felt over the insults directed at his aunt, and for all intents and purposes, mom, he just snapped. Years of bullying and it only took a couple of sentences and choice words for Peter to finally break.

"Mr. Parker, you may see Mr. Morita now," the secretary announced. Peter wasn't exactly unfamiliar with this office. As a sophomore he had skipped an ample amount of school and found himself on Morita's radar. As soon as he heard his name called, the ball of nervousness landed in his stomach. What was going to happen to him? He attacked Flash. Oh no. His mind was racing and his right hand trembled as he opened the door knob to the office.

Mr. Morita sighed as he saw Peter enter the room. This had been a good year for the student. He had only needed to speak with Peter once toward the beginning of the year, and that was more to check up on him. The Parker boy had seemed even more affected by the Blip than the rest of his classmates. Peter's constant detentions and office visits the previous year had left Morita with a soft spot for the kid. "Take a seat, Peter."

Peter sat down and looked at his shoes while he waited for Morita to deal out whatever consequence awaited.

"Take me through what happened."

Peter kept his composure. As he began telling his story, he grew more confident that Morita might let him off easy because of the viciousness of Flash's words. "So yeah. That's what happened" the sixteen year old finished.

Morita found himself sighing again. He understood why Peter snapped. He remembered his own teen years and experiences with bullies. He already decided that there would be serious consequences for Flash, but he also had to follow the guidelines from the school district, and despite what Flash had said, Peter still needed to be punished accordingly.

"I am very sorry about what Flash said to you, but it does not excuse violence. You know we have a zero tolerance policy here when it comes to physical altercations. I am bound to follow the rules of the school district. Since today is the last day of school, I cannot suspend you, nor can I give you detention. Because of your infraction, I have no choice but to take the science trip to Europe away from you."

Peter felt like a bomb went off in his stomach. All his composure and dignity vanished. Tears welled up in his eyes. "Please Mr. Morita, please don't take the trip from me! There has to be something else!"

"I'm sorry to have to do this, Peter, but you've left me with no choice," the principal said with a sad sigh. He took no pleasure in breaking the news to Peter, who looked like he was about to burst into tears.

"But I sold all my Star Wars toys to pay for this" Peter cried. "And my Aunt took double shifts to help pay for the rest! We can't afford to lose our money!"

Morita understood Peter's pain. He was keenly aware that not all Midtown students came from money, and on a more personal level, he knew how hard it must have been for Peter to sell his toys. While the kid may be sixteen, he knew Peter still enjoyed playing with legos and was unafraid to embrace his status as a nerd at school of nerds. "The school will reimburse you for the expenses. Don't worry about that."

Peter put his head in his hands. "There's gotta be something else." He didn't care if he sounded childish. Every negative emotion that he had kept pent up since the blip began pouring out. Tears that he thought were long since spent returned with a vengeance. Morita placed a hand on Peter' shoulder.

"It will be okay, Pete. I know this sounds like the worst thing in the world, but hopefully it will drive the message home that you cannot rise to violence." Morita didn't believe his own words, he knew this would not be okay for Peter. The boy was now shaking with sobs and begging him for another chance.

Peter realized that there was no changing Morita's mind. This was just like the ferry incident again. He tried gaining his composure, wiped his eyes, and stood up. He didn't care if Flash saw him crying as he left the office. He wished more than anything that Tony would walk through the door and plead his case for him. "Why does everything bad always happen to me? Why do I lose everything?"

He hadn't realized that he had spoken those words out loud. Just as he was about to turn the door knob, Morita spoke up. "Peter, please come back." Morita considered himself to be a man of rules and order. He also remembered that Peter was a teenager who had been through hell. Yes, he was supposed to enforce school district policy, but at what point did he lose any level of humanity or compassion? Peter had sat before him, crying his eyes out, begging to be allowed to go on a trip that he saved money for and sold off part of his childhood for. No doubt some of the toys the boy sold had been gifts from his deceased uncle. No, he knew he was not in the business of making good kids cry.

Peter turned around and slumped back to the chair. He just wanted to go home. He didn't want to be lectured anymore and he was beyond embarrassed that he had sobbed like a small child in front of his principal. For a conversation that had lasted less than five minutes, Peter felt like he had run an emotional marathon. His energy was spent from crying so hard. It just wasn't fair.

Morita was an observant man. He knew Peter had experienced a lot of loss in his young life. He was also aware that Peter had a tendency to go missing on school trips whenever Spider-Man showed up. He knew that the boy interned for Tony Stark as a high school sophomore. He knew that many thought Peter to be a liar, but he had also seen the boy picked up from school in a fancy Audi every Friday. Like he had also thought earlier, he knew that Peter seemed even more affected by the Blip than other students. Hearing Peter speak those sad words out loud made Morita think. Who would really raise an issue if he didn't follow the letter of the law? Flash's parents? He didn't really care considering the words that sparked the entire incident. He wracked his brain for a suitable alternative. He sighed as he faced Peter, who was now seated before his desk. The boy's eyes were bloodshot, and his hands were trembling slightly. Morita silently cursed himself. He tried to project an image of authority but he never meant to traumatize a student. He had seen plenty of kids come through his office and try to plead their case, but they were usually repeat offenders who had previously been offered mercy. Technically Peter fit that bill, but he had shown noticeable improvement, and if he was honest with himself, he knew that Peter, or Spider-Man, as he suspected, was a genuinely good young man.

"Peter, I know you mostly know me from last...err... five years ago, when you were in and out of detention on a weekly basis. So I know you probably see me more as a disciplinarian than an educator who wants to help people." Morita knew he was making the right decision. He wished he had never even opened his mouth and took the trip away.

The teenager rubbed his eyes, and wondered if it was possible that his principal was about to reconsider. He nervously picked at the fray on the sleeve of his blue checked button down and hoped that maybe, just maybe, he might receive some compassion. Morita continued to speak. "How you handled Flash today was wrong. I cannot, however, blame you for reacting. I have a hunch that you have been through hell. Obviously everyone has been through hell these past five years. I'm not saying anything about you, but I think, based on some intuition, that you have seen things and been places that most of us only see in nightmares. Everyone has a breaking point. I know Flash has been a source of torment for you since your freshman year. Your actions today were wrong, and I wish you had come to me before you reached this point. What would also be wrong would be for me to deprive you of your trip because of one bad decision, and a decision that you could have made countless times but didn't. You didn't deserve to have your aunt or your old mentor spoken about in such a way."

Peter's eyes widened. A wave of emotions crashed over him again and he could feel the tears rushing back. "Mr. Morita, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hit him! Are you really giving me a second chance?"

His principal nodded and shifted in his seat. "Yes, I am. However, I cannot let you walk away from this without any consequence." Peter braced himself for whatever was about to come. Maybe he wouldn't be allowed to be out of sight of Mr. Harrington, and would need to babysat the entire trip.

"You have a week until you leave, yes?" The older man asked. Peter nodded. "You will report here every morning this week at 6:30 AM and assist the janitorial staff with any take down from the school year. Your work will be age appropriate and fair. You will leave at 10:30 each day. My gut says to make you stay until noon, but remember I was your age once. It's your summer and I want you to be able to have some fun. Does this seem like a fair penalty?"

Peter nodded his head vigorously. "Yes sir. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much." He was still sniffling a bit, but the free flowing tears had dried and the reality that he was given another chance was sinking in. His mind drifted back to the day that Happy had picked him up from Decathlon practice and brought him to the Avengers compound where Tony had apologized to him and forgiven him for the ferry incident. He thought of all the times before the bite and after the bite that he made trouble for Ben and May, and now just May, and they had always forgiven him. Maybe things weren't so bad for him. "I promise this will never happen again! I want to prove to you that I really am a good person."

The principal shook his head. "I know you're a good man, Peter. You don't need to prove anything. When next year rolls around, just remember that my door is always open if you are being bullied, or ever just need to talk."

The pardoned student stood and extended his hand to Morita and thanked him again. This time he turned around with a smile on his face. Everything was going to be okay. Morita sat back down as the door closed. He took the incident report the teacher had written up and promptly placed it in the shredder. The door opened again, and the instigator Flash Thompson walked in.

"Mr. Thompson, please take a seat."


	2. To Be Fair

Flash gulped as he entered Principal Morita's office. He figured whatever was about to go down would not end well for him. He could hear Peter crying through the door. Sure he had picked on Peter before, but he had never actually seen his classmate cry before. He took a deep breathe and sat down at the chair facing Morita's desk.

"Principal Morita, I can explain" Flash whispered. Morita held up a finger to silence the student. Flash wisely closed his mouth. He hoped he would get a chance to explain himself.

Morita looked at Flash with dismay. "I just had a conversation with Peter, and after hearing his side of things, I reached what I believe to be a fair consequence for him. In that same spirit of fairness, I would like to hear from you about what just happened in study hall."

The bully sank back in his seat. He had an opportunity to actually be honest. Peter Parker reacted after months, no, who was he kidding, years of bullying. His barbs at Peter had always been directed at Peter. He had never gone after his family. That changed today. Maybe it was his frustration regarding his rapidly deteriorating relationship with his own parents, but if he really thought about it, he knew that was no excuse. When it came down to it though, he was Flash, and he had to look out for number one. "Peter went psycho. I don't know what came over him but he slammed a desk into me! I've never been anything but nice-"

"I'm going to stop you right there" Morita said, his voice rising in frustration. He obviously wasn't present for the dust up between the two boys, but he wasn't stupid, and he was well aware of the teasing Peter was subjected to by Flash. He felt ashamed that he had never really done anything about it, and after hearing Flash's blatant lie, he was beginning to feel bad at leaving Peter with any punishment. "Mr. Thompson, I've heard the names you call Peter, and I've heard from other students you have targeted. Do not sit here and lie to my face. I was prepared to be lenient-"

He was cut off by an interjection from Flash. "Please wait, I'm sorry. I really am sorry. It's just second nature to... to... lie... to save my own skin. I provoked Peter. I get it, I'm sorry." He hoped he sounded genuine. The problem was, being genuine just didn't come easy. He wasn't someone who could impress people on an athletic field, he was smart, but not the smartest, but he had money, a house mostly to himself, and the ability to buy friends. Somewhere within him, he really was sorry though. He knew he picked on Peter out of jealousy. He knew on any given Friday, he could host a party and 50 "friends" would show up, but he was deeply lonely. He was jealous of smiling Peter Parker laughing after school with his friend Ned. He felt hurt when the Academic Decathlon team would go to the movies together on Saturday, to try to rebuild their bonds after the blip, and he was somehow never invited. Why would he be though? He was jealous when Peter's aunt would pick him up from school and hug him. His own mother never did that.

Morita sighed and shook his head. "I gave you an opportunity to be-" He found himself cut off by Flash again. He tried to have patience. Just minutes earlier, he had dropped the hammer on Peter, when he had only reacted to a torrent of barbs. Flash didn't deserve his patience, but he had to be fair. If he was fair to Peter, who had still acted out with violence, he needed to show the same patience with Flash.

"I shouldn't have picked on Peter. I called him names, I insulted his aunt, I insulted Tony Stark, who I really know Peter interned for. I egged him on and he just snapped. It was my fault!" This wasn't how Flash pictured his last day of school. He was looking forward to starting to pack for Europe and maybe live streaming for a little while. He also was hoping to go to a charity dinner where Spider-Man would be. Maybe he'd even get to take a selfie with him. He didn't want to spend it in detention this beautiful summer day. The more he thought about it, the more he began to feel genuinely bad about what he had said to Peter.

The principal folded his hands and sighed. "This would have been easier if you had said this from the beginning." Morita tried to think about how he wanted to handle this. He was aware that Flash didn't have the best home life, but he was not convinced that Flash was genuinely sorry for what he had done. Yes, he confessed to bullying Peter, but it was only after he was called out on his lie. It was easy to show some mercy on Peter. Peter Parker was a kindhearted kid who made a mistake. Flash Thompson was a malicious bully who relished in picking on good kids. He had grounds to bar Flash from the Europe trip. Yes, the rules on the book said he should have carried out the penalty against Peter, but he knew he made the right choice in not doing so. The rules as written, were much more applicable to Flash.

"I'll accept whatever you choose to do about this," Flash intoned quietly. "I need to take some responsibility for once in my life." Morita still wasn't sure if this was a ruse by Flash to coax him into leniency.

"According to the rules of the school district, you will not be permitted to go on the school trip to Venice," Morita began. Flash blanched. He was not expecting that. He hadn't even considered that. Morita waited to see how the boy would react. If he fought him, it would once again prove that Flash was a liar, merely looking to save himself. If he accepted the punishment, he would sentence Flash to a similar fate as Peter received.

Flash looked down and sighed. This was his time to finally do the right thing. "Okay. If that's what you've decided, then I accept. I'm sorry. I really am. I cause any trouble or try get my parents involved like I usually do."

Morita gave Flash a small smile. "That's what I wanted to hear. Flash, I didn't take the trip from Peter even though the rules said I should. I know these haven't been easy times for anyone. You need to seriously reconsider your attitude. If I get any reports from the trip that you've been bullying anyone, you will be suspended upon the start of the new year. Are we clear?"

"Are you saying I can go?" Flash asked. He really thought he had finally crossed the line this time.

The principal stood up. "Yes, you may. You are on thin ice, Eugene. I am willing to give you another chance, and now you are going to have an opportunity to show Peter that you are sorry. In lieu of taking the trip from him, I told him for the week until the trip, he is to come to school at 6:30 in the morning and work with the maintenance crew until 10:30. You are going to join him, except you will work until noon. Like I told Peter, the work will be age appropriate and you will get fair breaks. If you do this, and don't complain, you will be allowed on the trip. Do I make myself clear?"

Flash nodded. He honestly thought for a moment that he might be expelled. He would never be able to explain that to his parents. "Yes sir. Although I'm not sure how pleased Peter will be."

"You have a chance to apologize to Peter. I'm not expecting some fairy tale ending with you two becoming friends. However you have some time to seriously consider how your actions landed the two of you in this situation. You have the chance to show Peter that behind all the bravado is a decent kid. You aren't the first kid who comes from money who's obviously incredibly lonely" Morita lectured. "Take this time to think about your actions. I never want to have Peter Parker in my office looking like he's at a breaking point again. I never want to receive another report that you have bullied anyone else. Like I said, I don't expect the two of you to become friends, but I suspect that if you apologize to Peter, not just for this, but for everything, he may just forgive you."

Flash wished that maybe he and Peter could become friends. When they were younger, Flash was still a jerk. In middle school he was jealous of Peter, who would run and hug his uncle when he was picked up from school. It became easy to tease him for this, when all Flash wanted was for his own Dad to hug him. He liked the same movies as Peter and Ned. During freshman year they were all in a film class together. He wanted to applaud after Peter's fantastic presentation on the relationship between the Star Wars movies and the Cold War. Instead he called him a nerd and a loser and tripped him while he was carrying a Lego set he had clearly worked hard on. Could he ever really change from who he was? He wasn't sure. Just maybe though, Morita had given him an opportunity to try. The principal motioned for Flash to leave.

It was in between class periods when Flash was dismissed from the office. He trudged to his locker where he saw Peter, who now looked a little cleaned up and less wrecked. "Hey uh... Peter?"

Peter turned around in surprise. "What do you want? Haven't you said enough to me today?"

Flash dropped his head and shuffled his feet. It was now or never. "Umm... do... do you want to grab a bite to eat after school today? I... I'd like to talk to you."

Peter felt his jaw drop.


End file.
